When you hear the term grand strategy relative to a state or government, it usually refers to the overarching strategy that 1) considers the long-term consequences of using all instruments of national power – military, economic, diplomatic, informational, etc. – to advance national interests, and 2) governs all underlying objectives, tactics, and decisions. To be most effective, a state sets policies connected and consistent with its overarching grand strategy and acts accordingly. It’s simple enough in theory. I thought about grand strategy recently while I heard the artist Pitbull (Armando Christian Pérez) mention his annual goals: 2009: freedom. 2010: invasion. 2011: build empire. 2012: grow wealth. 2013: put the puzzle together. 2014: buckle up. 2015: make history. 2016 disruption. 2017: gingerbread man, catch me if you…

Study the Market Understand what is available in your market. What is the business and competitive landscape? Who is hiring? What type of roles and skills are in demand? How are job descriptions worded? Sign up for job posting alerts (e.g., LinkedIn, The Ladders, company websites, etc.) to monitor market activity over time. There is a wealth of information available online that can help you get a sense of the market, and just seeing what is available will help you align and target better. Determine the Ideal Develop a perspective of your optimal job profile. What are the ideal job characteristics? What does an average day look like? What personal differentiators or constraints do you have to consider? Think about job basics as well as cosmetics (e.g., work environment, travel requirements, ways of working,…

My best personal planning occurs when I consider the context of my situation – past, present, future – and act in the best interest of my future self. In its simplest form it’s asking, will I tomorrow be pleased with the decisions I make today? Especially as New Year’s resolutions start to fade into post-holiday realities, I encourage you to plan – and progress – the optimal future you. The Past Recognize the connection of past decisions to present situations. Personal histories in health, in education, in career, in relationships, etc. are too frequently rationalized in hindsight, rather than fully related to the present. In financial hardships, for example, the real villain is often the victim’s past self. The point is not to beat yourself up…

There’s a subtle but important difference between consensus and alignment in organizations. Consensus feels safe, but it can take herculean efforts to reach outliers, sway resistors and convince skeptics on the way to agreement. Alignment is more about arrangement and positioning. Sometimes you don’t need people to agree, you need them to align…just enough to move forward. *

I like to use a room analogy when discussing change. It goes a little something like this: Picture yourself walking into an adjoining room that is exactly the same as the one you’re currently in…except for one thing. You get to pick one thing to change. It could be an artifact, a person’s presence, new information, whatever…add, alter or remove. Same thing as you walk into the next room…one more thing. How many rooms would you need to pass through to reach your ideal state? Would you spend more time in some rooms than others? Is there a final room? What can you do now to bypass rooms? It’s a positive (and less morbid) spin on Bill James’ thinking about capacity for action and steering away from situations:…

“There’s a choice that we have to make as people, as individuals. If you want to be great at something, there’s a choice that you have to make. We all can be masters at our craft. But you have to make a choice. What I mean by that is, there are inherent sacrifices that come along with that…There are sacrifices that come along with making the decision.” –Kobe Bryant on choices *